Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome Ale

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: English Strong Ale
Tadcaster, England

Bottle. Clear amber, big offwhite head. Toffee and grassy aroma with hints of berries. Nice toffee flavours, some balancing bitterness. Again just a hint of tart fruit. Nice enough, but is easily forgotten.

From a 12oz Bottle. Rated Blind. Pours a transparent, ruddy amber color with a thin, quickly dissapating, somewhat filmy layer of off-white head. A vigorous swirl rejuvenates some more foam, evening it out a bit. Fruity aroma of strawberry licorice and vanilla create a perfumy bouquet that sits atop some caramel malts. A little bit of spicy, herbal hop character becomes apparent with a bit more contemplation. Medium bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel. The flavors are substantially more thin than the nose, causing a bit of a deflation after a bit of olfactory promise. Mild lightly toasted bread crusts mingle with a subtle dose of hops. A little warming toward the back end with some herbal hops lingering in the final smack, but not bitter. A touch of green sherried raisins provide a touch of fruitiness, although the thin palate and sherried fruits suggest oxidation is to blame for this one’s deficiencies. Alcohol seems well hidden at first, but shows a faint glimpse long into the final smack, although not overly done. Palate is a bit thin overall, with too much of a bland vegetal hop flavor.

April 20, 2007; 550ml bottle sampled in a Trappist glass. 2005-2006 vintage. Not really what you’d expect from a classic "winter warmer", but most certainly a very nice -- if flawed -- malty English-style ale. This is a discordant brew, characterized by a delicious candy-caramel aroma, respectable malt presentation -- followed up by a rather incongruous bitter-astringent finish (where some lively spice might have been appreciated). Enjoyed this bumpy ride nonetheless, and wouldn’t hesitate to pick it up again.

Been a while since I had this..so I’m rating it from memory...at the time, I was a full fledged Porter/Stout kinda guy...this one caught my attention...I had it with some chili cheese dogs from Sonic...and it was allll good. This Beer has a different type kick that intrigues you...will buy again before Winter, baby...

Fruity, nutty beer, full of winter flavours. A fine winter beer, and another excample that the classic ingredients can provide a full palate of flavour!

while in utah-i begaing to learn about the vareity of ales in the world (ALL beer >3.2% cost fine ALE prices)-and wither welcome was one of the first $5(utah prices) beer that i had back then

Recent cold front hit’s Crapsonville. Weather forcasted to be dismal.....as was such with this brew. i don;t know what it was, but it looked good, yet there was no taste outside of some carbonated apple juice. Not sure what Sammiez playing at. I was uberly dissapointed in this but it fits this weirdo late cold front that’s moved in recently. Perhaps more of a soviet weather engineering tactic.

Bottle. Tastes complexly sweet. Has a hint of licorice, or something similar that was hard to put my finger on. I highly recommend it, after all it’s Samuel Smith, they haven’t created a bad beer I’ve ever found.